|
1. DIGITAL TWINS Potential applicants may contact the digital twins theme lead, Professor Ioannis Brilakis (ib340@cam.ac.uk), for any queries regarding these challenges. |
|
Title: How can we plan a Road Digital Twin? We know what the planning stage looks like for a road Physical Twin (PT). We don’t know what the planning stage looks like for a road Digital Twin (DT). How do we derive scope, assess feasibility, and estimate costs for the digital asset? We need to derive (a) a flexible DT scope definition process; (b) methods to quantify DT costs and overall feasibility across all relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The purpose is to enable planning process standardisation and compliance with the National DT programme, while ensuring that all planning parameters are considered. Industry partners: Ordnance survey |
|
Title: How can we design a Road Digital Twin? What exactly is a road Digital Twin (DT)? What is it made of, and how is it structured? Where does it sit, and who does it interact with and how? We know these answers for road Physical Twins (PT), but still struggling to define them for DTs. To answer these questions, we need to derive (a) highways stakeholders’ user and information requirements for DTs; (b) a road Foundation Data Model (FDM); (c) a road Reference Data Library (RDL), and (d) a road Integration Cloud Architecture (IA), consistent with the Information Management Framework (IMF) proposed by the Centre for Digital Built Britain. The purpose is to enable (i) productisation; (ii) interoperability with the National DT programme; (iii) data security; (iv) futureproofing; and (v) static and dynamic data curation. Industry Partners: Ordnance survey, Ringway, National Highways |
|
Title: How can we construct and maintain a Road Digital Twin? The cost and effort currently necessary to make a rich road Digital Twin (DT) for a specific road Physical Twin (PT) counteracts the value of the DT and is therefore not performed for most roads. At the PT design phase, we lack the generative design tools necessary to complete low level, laborious design tasks. At the PT construction and operation phase, we lack the digital twinning tools that will generate DTs of existing road assets and allow us to affordably maintain them. We need ways to (a) match objects and object properties to the PT, then generate/update the DT; (b) fuse information that sits in sponsor Industry Partners: Ordnance survey, Ringway, Telent |
|
Title: How can we interact with Road Digital Twins? The complexity behind the hardware and software of a smartphone is significantly more than the complexity of a road Digital Twin (DT). However, smartphone complexity is extremely well encapsulated, making it possible for nearly any human to use without prior training and get value fast. DTs have a long way to go to reach that standard of encapsulation, yet it is necessary to drive adoption across the sector and thus derive value out of DTs. We need to (a) derive protocols for (i) highways IoT-DT-enterprise cloud communication, and (b) DT to information visualisation environments communication. The purpose is to enable (i) secure information exchanges; (ii) true usability; (iii) low latency; and (iv) futureproofing. • How can we verify information exchange integrity during “round trips” Industry Partner: Ordnance survey, Costain Limited |
|
Title: How will a world with Road Digital Twins be different in the future? Road Digital Twins (DT) are both a tool for better servicing existing road Physical Twins (PT) as well as a tool for changing the nature of a PT, as a product and process. This also considers future changes in their use, autonomous vehicles, the decarbonisation agenda, the drive for simplification, automation, and productivity, and other factors that will simultaneously have an effect. Industry Partner: Ordnance survey |
|
Title: How can Road Digital Twins generate value from connecting areas? The relationship between roads, buildings, and neighbourhoods is becoming increasingly important to decision makers, with particular attention paid to road Digital Twins (DT). A side effect of DT development is the impact on building permit processes. Besides the enrichment of 3D city models in an urban and cities’ interconnecting context, DT include significant information for decision making during the building permit process. This process can be viewed as a part to accelerate, improve, facilitate, and influence from the perspective of both planning and building permit authorities and applicants. Industry Partner: Ordnance survey, Keltbray |
|
Title: How can we build an Underground Digital Twin and what should it do? Significant advances have been made on Digital Twin (DT) enablers for a wide range of above-ground physical infrastructure. However, DTs for the underground space are much less advanced and are currently non-existent in industrial practices. This is because there is a lack of clarity around how we design, build and maintain underground DTs and how they add value for our road infrastructure; this is further complicated by inherent geotechnical uncertainties. We need a state-of-the-art framework for the development of underground DTs to mitigate adverse geotechnical effects on our road infrastructure e.g. subsidence, sink holes, slope failure. Industry Partner: Ordnance survey, Telent, Keltbray |
|
2. AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS Potential applicants should contact the automation and robotics theme lead, Professor Fumiya Iida (fi224@cam.ac.uk), for any queries regarding these challenges. |
|
Title: Automated large-area 3-D printing This project topic aims to develop control and sensing framework for fully autonomous 3-D printing of building materials over large areas. The process should involve scanning existing topology, calibration and localization of print morphology with respect to the scanned surface, motion/print planning with existing robotic devices. Industry Partners: Versarien, Balfour Beatty |
|
Title: Swarm robotics for traffic management and inspection This project topic aims to develop a feasibility study on the usage of swarm robots for automated traffic management and inspection. Simulation studies will be conducted on deployment and control of swarm robots for traffic cone placement, traffic divergence, inspection, temporary lane closure, load management, etc. In-lab experiments will be conducted to validate some of the processes. Industry partners: Ringway, TRL, Telent, Balfour Beatty |
|
Title: Road surface monitoring with non-conventional sensors Existing road monitoring devices use specialized sensing technologies for detecting damage or bulk properties. However, they are expensive to develop, has low update rate and is limited in their sensing capabilities. This project aims to use non-conventional readily available sensors for road condition monitoring. For instance, using IMUs and traction information in autonomous cars for detecting onset of aquaplaning. Industry partners: Versarien, Balfour Beatty, Costain Limited, Amey |
|
Title: Automatization of existing heavy machinery A large number of existing heavy machinery rely on human operators manually operating them with limited sensory feedback. This project aims to improve the accuracy and robustness of existing heavy machineries by adding sensor-motor loops or by improving state feedback to the human operator. For example, improving the accuracy of mobile cranes by adding proprioceptive elements (encoders, cameras, etc) for state estimation and a feedback controller on top of this coupled with a high-level controller for the user. Industry partners: Ringway, Trimble, Balfour Beatty, L Lynch Plant Ltd |
|
Title: Feasibility study on robotics for future road infrastructures Building and maintenance of road infrastructure still heavily relies on manual processes. This project is a feasibility study on the usage of robotic technologies for automating these processes. Research includes meta-analysis of existing technologies and their progress, surveys with industrial partners, development of guidelines/ research projects / collaboration networks, etc. Industry Partners: BAM, Ringway, TRL, Versarien, National Highways, Balfour Beatty, Keltbray |
|
3. SUSTAINABILITY Potential applicants should contact the sustainability theme lead, Dr Kristen MacAskill (kam71@cam.ac.uk), for any queries regarding these sustainability challenges. |
|
Title: How can public behavioural change measures be best facilitated and measured for impact to improve road service provision on existing assets? At the top of the carbon reduction hierarchy is ‘build nothing’, closely followed by ‘build less’. The typical historical approach to developing a strategic road network is through expansion via construction (i.e. more road lanes). An alternative to approach to is to use the existing asset more productively. For example, increasing the operational capacity of the existing asset to support more vehicle trips. Research can contribute to building confidence in alternative operating models or new technologies for improving consistency of service provision beyond traditional civil engineering interventions. For example, interventions could target user behavioural change. This may also require behavioural change within the industry. We are keen to see proposals that will explore productivity of the existing network asset through an increased understanding of how behavioural change models can best be implemented to help maximise the effective use of infrastructure. For example, how might nudge theory be applied to effective management of road infrastructure? Industry Partners: Ramboll, National Highways, AECOM |
|
Title: To what extent can an equity, diversification, and inclusion (EDI) agenda change the way we approach road infrastructure planning and design? There is increasing recognition of the limitations of infrastructure planning and design practice when it comes to EDIA. Accessibility has become a standard consideration in urban planning and now, for example, gender-oriented considerations and changing emphasis in transport hierarchies (e.g. prioritisation of active transport) are coming to the fore in urban planning. However, implementation of EDI-driven design is still a relatively new concept in infrastructure planning and design, and we welcome proposals that set out an ambitious vision for research into supporting the development of diversity principles and design practice for urban road infrastructure. Industry Partners: Ramboll |
|
Title: How can the sector best manage risk sharing among stakeholders to achieve future “beyond net zero” targets effectively and quickly? The highways sector remains relatively traditional in its infrastructure delivery mechanisms covering planning, design, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance. It is not generally considered a leader in technological and organisational innovation. Considering major changes in society that are influencing demands on and expectations of the road network (e.g. population growth, alternative technologies, equity, resource efficiency, climate change), the Future Roads partnership would like to see a shift in the sector’s capacity to adapt to new demands. The basis of this challenge is to look beyond existing “net zero” carbon reduction targets. In exploring this sector ecosystem challenge a particular emphasis should be placed on how risk is most effectively shared across stakeholders. Through the Future Roads partnership network, a fellow responding to this challenge will have a unique opportunity to access stakeholders from across the UK Highways sector to conduct applied research. This access should be considered in applicant proposal methodologies. Industry Partners: TRL, Versarien, L Lynch Plant Ltd, Keltbray |
|
Title: How does carbon management relate to level of spending in the road sector? The Future Roads partners are interested in supporting a fellow to explore carbon management from a supply chain/stakeholder ecosystem perspective, with a particular emphasis on exploring the relationship between carbon-related decision making and the amount of spending that takes place across an asset lifecycle. This will help to build on the principles set out in the PAS2080 Carbon Management in Infrastructure framework. It will help to provide quantitative evidence and clarity around the relationships between decisions to reduce carbon and links to associated spending across asset lifecycle phases from initial investment through to maintenance and end of life. Essentially, we are interested in understanding what the flow of “capital” looks like compared to the flow of carbon. Industry Partner: Amey |
|
Title: How ready is the current infrastructure for the changing environment? Climate change science reporting clearly outlines how our climate is changing -the latest State of the UK Climate 2018 report highlights several key indicators are consistent with the expected effects of a warming climate. This includes record temperatures and an increase in extremely wet days. While National Highways is clearly promoting its agenda for digitalisation and net zero operations (in line with government priorities), less emphasis has been given to planning for climate adaptation, and more broadly a future hazard scape that is different to what is faced today. A recent UK Parliament Joint Committee Report (published 27 October 2022) "Readiness for storms ahead?" highlights a lack of government responsibility for critical national infrastructure resilience. There is some leading research in the UK on national infrastructure hazard risk assessment, but more work to be done in taking these frameworks and modelling more towards tactical and operational decision-making for managing and developing the UK's national road asset. Scenario modelling might be explored to understand the risk profiles associated with different possible futures. Research proposals could consider the need for increased maintenance, costs, and cascading failures associated with exposure to more extreme events. Industry Partner: National Highways, L Lynch Plant Ltd |
|
Title: What strategies could be used to achieve biodiversity (or more broadly ecosystem services) net-gain in managing a national highway network? Supporting biodiversity is an emerging consideration for the design and management of road-related assets but there is no clear method to be able to quantify biodiversity measures in a meaningful way. As a result, biodiversity measures are often not a core consideration, but an “add-on” consideration for project implementation. The basis of this challenge is to establish more comprehensively what “green estate management” could feasibly look like as a key underpinning basis for managing land linked to the highway network. A proposal under this theme might opt to explore ecosystem services more generally, considering the possibilities for regenerative land use that gives more space to nature, so returning carbon to the soil and oxygen to the atmosphere, and how this might be integrated with the wider management of a national highway network. This might involve some form of comparative study. For example, how are the development options different in situations such as the Middle East and China where massive new urbanisation is underway? Industry Partner: Colas, BAM, National Highways |
|
Title: How can existing available technologies be utilised to improve both sustainability and safety on construction sites for road-related projects? The current rate of technology development is outstripping the ability of industry to be able to strategically assess and deploy these technologies on construction sites to manage sites effectively, safely and sustainability. This project is expected to develop some form of product mapping that enables effective comparison of technologies and what they might offer the industry. It is expected that the project would need to include the consideration of how behaviours and/or site management protocols might need to change in order to effectively adopt technologies. The project will help to support the development of site specifications that will facilitate the adoption of technologies to deliver on desired outcomes of improved safety and sustainability. Industry Partner: Colas, BAM, National Highways |
|
4. DATA SCIENCE Potential applicants should contact the data science theme lead, Dr Lavindra De Silva (lpd25@cam.ac.uk), for any queries regarding these challenges. |
|
Title: Synthetic data generation for improving automated classification of highway assets and defects Manual monitoring of highway networks is time-consuming and subjective. Thus, there is an increased interest in automating monitoring, using data collected by connected passenger or dedicated vehicles. Most passenger vehicles are already equipped with sensors such as accelerometers and cameras, while dedicated vehicles have higher-resolution sensors, such as laser scanners. Collected data are then processed by machine learning and computer vision-based algorithms to detect and classify highway assets and defects. A major challenge in training these algorithms is having the appropriate datasets. For instance, certain types of assets or defects are rare and thus there are not enough data for training. This project is focusing on generating synthetic data via state-of-the-art data augmentation techniques and generative algorithms. The outcomes will accelerate research and training simulations, contributing to more reliable automated highway inspection. Industry Partners: Colas, TRL, AECOM |
|
Title: Digital Twin-driven spatiotemporal modelling and analysis of supplier and material durability for decision-making When building or maintaining roads, a wide array of suppliers and materials are readily available. The issue that then arises is which supplier or material should be chosen? A vast quantity of historical data such as the supplier, materials, construction costs, carbon footprint, age, condition, and maintenance history of highway assets and pavement can be obtained from various sources. Given these historical data, is it possible to make a more informed decision? The key challenge is to assemble and fuse the datasets containing all these relevant data within the highways’ Digital Twin, and to develop statistical, spatial and temporal models to evaluate the quality, durability and sustainability of given materials and/or suppliers through data analysis and inference. Industry Partner: Amey |
|
Title: Using productivity techniques and Digital Twins in design and construction planning to achieve greater certainty of delivery and cost Planning and certainty of design and construction activities are critical in highway construction projects, but notoriously difficult to obtain due to the many interfaces, stakeholders and variables. This challenge is to research the key areas of project planning and develop tools and processes to increase efficiency and provide informed decision-making. The project will include reviewing the National Highways (NH) major projects programme and analysing trends and unpredictability factors that create risk and delay in the construction process through effective risk modelling techniques. The aim is to develop a platform Industry Partners: Kier, Trimble, TRL, National Highways, Keltbray |
|
Title: Connected Corridors of the Future and big data The Strategic Road Network (SRN) of the future will rely on connectivity of vehicle to vehicle as well as vehicle to asset and vehicle to Digital Twin. This connectivity will underpin operation and maintenance activities of the SRN as well as users of the SRN. This will require communication protocols to be standardised as much as possible without hindering innovation nor creating cybersecurity weak spots. Open data initiatives aim to optimise digitisation and accelerate innovation. They have shown great potential in other sectors such as the already established open banking, open energy, as well as the OFWAT- funded STREAM project in the water sector. Additionally, the sheer volume of data exchanged must be processed efficiently and make optimal use of the computing resources available. The aim of this challenge is to investigate current initiatives and build a framework that optimises data flows and increases bandwidth for efficiently and securely aggregating the vast amounts of data collected by connected vehicles and sensors on the SRN. This architecture must also ensure seamless communication and open/permissioned exchange of data between vehicles, assets and the Digital Twin. Industry Partners: Trimble, TRL, Ringway, Telent, Costain Limited |
|
Title: Behavioural Analysis and efficiency modelling The University of Cambridge is in collaboration with the Universities of Westminster and Heriot Watt through the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (CSRF) to investigate behavioural patterns for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) during the decarbonisation phase. HGVs account for 15% of traffic on the SRN. This is an opportunity to leverage some of that work for the remainder of 85% traffic on the SRN, which mainly comprises private users. How is an incident or congestion on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) caused by the behaviour of a driver, and conversely, how does the state of the SRN (e.g., defects, roadworks) impact road users? This project will apply modelling and inference to characterise regional traffic and shed light on the dynamic relationship and impacts the user has on the SRN and the SRN has back on the user. The goals are to assess the social impact and carbon benefits on the road user of modal shifts and new policies, traffic limits, etc. This challenge will increase secure journey reliability and transform NH from infrastructure provider into data optimiser and the DfT/Government into the policy holder. Industry Partners: Ordnance Survey, National Highways |
|
Title: Data-driven safety improvements during highway activities Highway activities, such as maintenance and replacement, are crucial for having healthy highway networks, ensuring passenger safety. These activities rely on temporary traffic management. For instance, “Live Traffic” delivers real-time traffic updates, dynamically rerouting vehicles to avoid hold-ups. However, temporary traffic management has proven dangerous for drivers since there are instances such as vehicle incursions into road works. The frequency of the use of Live Traffic is constantly growing, and so are the safety risks, as the focus of Transportation Authorities is more on updating existing infrastructure than developing new infrastructure. The frequency increases even more due to the need for upgrading infrastructure to support electric and autonomous vehicles. However, major progress in the last two decades in collecting and processing data, using artificial intelligence, smart materials, automation and robotics, has the potential to significantly improve safety during Highway Activities. A natural question then arises: how can we use collected and available data together with artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of Live Traffic, and safety in general throughout Highway Activities? Industry Partners: L Lynch Plant Ltd, Keltbray |
|
Title: Trust in Data and Artificial Intelligence algorithms applied to highway networks Collected data can help us monitor and predict traffic, asset condition and weather. Additionally artificial intelligence-based algorithms offer a great opportunity to improve highway monitoring and maintenance, reduce traffic delays, and enhance users’ comfort and safety. However, to what extent do asset operators and users trust data, i.e., its veracity, and the results coming from artificial intelligence algorithms? For instance, road users do not always follow instructions related to the suggested path for reaching their destination in the shortest time. Additionally, highway managers do not completely trust automated techniques for asset condition monitoring and consequently combine automated monitoring with manual monitoring or validation. This has led to a crucial gap in science and industry: How can we define, measure, and improve trust in data and artificial intelligence? Industry Partners: Ordnance survey, Telent |
|
5. SMART MATERIALS Potential applicants should contact the smart materials theme lead, Professor Abir Al-Tabbaa (aa22@cam.ac.uk), for any queries regarding these challenges. |
|
Title: Whole-life Zero Carbon Roads: Capital and operational decarbonisation of road materials The UK Net Zero Highways document has set a target of net zero carbon for construction and maintenance by 2040. However, current road construction and maintenance operations are far from being carbon neutral, and road materials significantly contribute to carbon emissions throughout their service life. From a decarbonisation perspective, there is now a significant push to upgrade existing road assets in preference to building new ones. Can suitable low-carbon and durable road materials be designed, validated and rolled out to contribute to carbon reductions in construction and maintenance? What elements of the different road materials and components can we make the quickest and largest impact, and how? These elements could include the exploration of low-carbon materials and alternatives to cement (blended cements and alternative cements), asphalt (bio-based), aggregates (for bound and unbound layers) and steel reinforcement (e.g. basalt fibres). How can we accelerate the validation of new low-carbon materials and products for construction and maintenance to fast-track their implementation into specifications and standards? Can lessons be learnt from existing or past projects? What is the best way to balance cost, carbon, performance and longevity? What are the opportunities for carbon sinks, carbon-negative materials and carbon sequestration within road materials and the wider road infrastructure network and assets? Where are the low-hanging fruit for decarbonising road materials, and can they address both capital and operational carbon? Can we continue to reduce the carbon footprint of roads throughout their service life? How do we quantify those benefits in whole-life carbon calculations and life cycle analyses? Can we develop sufficiently accurate carbon calculators for the construction and maintenance of roads? How can current carbon calculators be expanded and enabled to accurately and reliably assess the whole-life carbon of roads? Industry Partners: Ringway,Versarien, AECOM, Costain Limited, Galliford Try, Amey, Keltbray |
|
Title: Future-proof roads: Data-driven materials for durable and climate resilient pavements Roads deteriorate throughout their service life and this deterioration is not only financially costly but is costly in terms of carbon. Therefore, by using more durable pavement materials, the road sector could save money and achieve its net zero carbon goal. This challenge requires the generation of the much-needed evidence-based relevant data and the creation of suitable statistical models to enable the assessment, optimisation and integration of durability performance and carbon impact. How can statistical models assist in optimising carbon across the lifecycle of a highway asset to understand the Industry Partners: TRL, AECOM, Amey |
|
Title: Zero waste roads: Capitalising on existing materials and eliminating the mining of natural resources The construction and maintenance of highways consume huge volumes of natural resources and generate vast quantities of waste. Can future roads use minimal to zero natural resources, and when we maintain and repair existing roads, can the road be intelligently used as a quarry for these operations? For example, asphalt is 100% recyclable, but only ~50% is usually reused. What are Industry Partner: Colas Ltd, Balfour Beatty, Amey, Keltbray |
|
Title: Maximising road life: Smart materials and sensors to extend the life of existing assets The UK’s strategic road network is valued at more than 128 billion pounds, and it is expected that this amount will increase with the majority of the assets still being in service in 2050. The assets that make up the network are ageing, and it is now acknowledged that the maintenance and repair of the existing assets (as opposed to demolishing and rebuilding) is the most sustainable approach to maintaining its services. A potential area for applicants to consider includes developing smart materials that can significantly enhance the life of existing assets. Can we deploy sensors to assess the current state of the pavements? Can sensor data help us make smarter decisions? Can smart materials and sensors be combined such that the pavement can report its state of health to help with the proactive maintenance of the assets and lengthen their operating life? Can smart materials assist in achieving efficient design, whereby we design with less materials and reduce overdesign in the maintenance of assets? Can we use this body of data to model the performance and deterioration of these materials and, ultimately, their whole life performance to inform intervention needs? Can we capitalise on the sizable body of existing data (owned by National Highways and others) to improve our knowledge of the current state of the assets? Can we employ car sensors, e.g. on Royal mail vehicles, to help in this regard? Can we use sensors and data extracted from sensors to eliminate disruptions and enhance traffic flow? Can we design or deploy low-cost multifunctional sensors, e.g., for combined asset management, traffic flow analysis and temperature measurements? Could pavement sensor technology be future-proofed to work in the future road network, e.g., so that they are compatible with the electrification of the network and future climatic scenarios? Can we integrate data from multiple sources and produce information and knowledge to inform strategic decisions regarding cost, carbon and environmental benefits? Industry Partners: Versarien, Telent, Costain Limited, Galliford Try, Amey |
|
Title: Automated Roads: Potential for 3D printing in future road construction and maintenance The National Highways Digital Strategy includes a roadmap to digitise the strategic road network by 2025. This commitment is paving the way for a range of innovative and impactful autonomous, robotic, remote and smart delivery approaches. 3D printing has emerged as a technology with huge potential to transform how we construct and maintain our infrastructure assets in a smart, cost-effective, resource-efficient and sustainable fashion. 3D printing enables fast and easy manufacture of on-demand complex and variable designs with minimal waste material without requiring formwork. The recent successful 3D printing of road elements has demonstrated the huge potential for future highway projects. Advanced 3D printing techniques would enable the delivery of multiple pavement materials (e.g., bituminous, cementitious and polymeric), with different compositions, including low-carbon alternatives, with very different properties and with a range of additives, including fibres, as well as composite materials with complex functional architectures. Precast and in-situ elements for road construction and maintenance applications can be 3D printed. Proposals could explore the potential for 3D printing various pavement applications, such as bespoke construction and repairs and robotic-assisted on-the-spot maintenance and assess and test the areas that would be most feasible and deliver significant impacts. These proposals could be extended using optimisation techniques and lead to full-scale trials. Sensor-instrumentation of 3D printed elements and components and assessment of response under a range of structural and environmental stresses would accelerate our understanding of the performance of 3D printed materials. In addition, can life cycle assessment and cost analyses serve to demonstrate the added value of 3D-printed construction? Industry Partners: BAM, Versarien, Balfour Beatty, Costain Limited, Keltbray |
|
Title: Smart earthworks: Soil for all seasons and harnessing excavation soil as construction materials Earthworks usually form a significant part of road projects involving excavation, cut and fill, and soil blending and reworking activities to create stable soil-based road spaces. These activities usually require working with both excavated soils (both granular and cohesive) and natural weak or unstable ground conditions; both usually requiring some form of soil stabilisation processes. In addition, most major infrastructure projects usually involve the excavation of significant volumes of excavation materials, primarily soils. For example, the construction of HS2 and the lower Thames crossing, are expected to result in the generation of several million tonnes of such excavated material. Excavated materials are a considerable industry concern as their export from sites and their disposal are very costly and have significant environmental impacts. In addition, in wet winter conditions, digging is usually stopped for around 6 months which places significant strains on project progress. Particular material of concern are the ‘fines’ components and fines also represent a major problem in quarrying activities. Hence, excavation and quarrying wastes constitute a major problem, yet they are valuable resources. What innovative processing and reworking can be deployed to convert such excavated soils into value-added products tailored to highway projects? Can cost-effective, low-carbon, and ideally waste-based stabilising additives and associated processing be developed and deployed? Can they be a source of pozzolanic materials to replace the diminishing supplies Industry Partners: Versarien, AECOM, Galliford Try, Keltbray |
|
Title: Energy-harvesting roads: How much energy can we harvest in our roads? Transportation is one of the most energy-consuming sectors, but could this energy be harvested from the road infrastructure? Significant opportunities lie with the road infrastructure for energy harvesting, including solar, mechanical (vibration and friction from vehicles) and geothermal energy. High temperatures this summer made asphalt reach its melting point and led to significant road problems. Harvesting such energy through extraction and at the same time reducing this surface heat would deliver double benefits. The development and application of smart technologies and materials that capitalise on those resources, could easily turn the road infrastructure into a net energy producer. This energy would then provide the power for future electric vehicles, road furniture, and building assets within the network and for de-icing certain pavements and cycle paths where gritting or ploughing is difficult or undesirable. What is the potential for material innovations both in energy capture and storage? What is the potential of, e.g.piezoelectric, phase change or pyroelectric materials, thermochemical storage systems, highly reflective adhesive films, such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) films, conductive fillers, smart transparent coatings, layered composites and energy storage within Industry Partners: BAM, Colas, Ringway, Amey, Keltbray |
|
Title: Nano-inspired Roads: Role of nanomaterials in the delivery of low-carbon smart future roads Nanomaterials and nanotechnology will play a vital role in delivering future smart, sustainable and resilient roads and pavement materials. For example, graphene-asphalt and graphene-concrete composites were recently deployed in full-scale field trials as viable pavement materials to significantly enhance the life of road surfaces. Potential areas for applicants to consider: exploring the Industry Partners: Ringway, Versarien, Balfour Beatty, Costain Limited |
|
Title: New Materials Roads: Designing with the end in mind, using the How can we ensure we are still using the right pavement materials, in the right place, in the right way, for the right duration and to their full capacity? The future of road design must be able to predict, identify and map needs for alternative materials or novel materials and trends outside the sector. How are pavement materials supporting the network of the future? For example, could conductive pavements be used for power generation and charging or support for example digitally enabled workers/road users and operations? Can we design smart lane markings to enhance safety? What are the selection criteria for materials that balance cost, longevity/performance, and low carbon? What are the unintended consequences of new materials and hence what are the challenges associated with enablers for uptake of these materials? How will these new materials be incorporated in design and delivery considering aspects of specifications? Implementing of new materials will require building confidence in new materials’ Industry Partners: Versarien, Balfour Beatty, Galliford Try |
|
Title: Oil-free asphalt for future roads: Sustainable materials for flexible road pavements Asphalt is mainly composed of bitumen mixed with aggregates of crushed stone. Bitumen is a by-product of crude oil distillation and contributes hugely to emissions and environmental impacts. In a future not reliant on fossil fuels, can we develop asphalts from alternatives to crude oil bitumen that deliver the same or better performance? For example, can asphalts be developed from waste Industry Partners: Ringway, Versarien, National Highways, AECOM |
